The Emperor grew increasingly uneasy. To leave no stone unturned, he issued another imperial edict stating that due to the case’s gravity, all city detention centers must fully cooperate with the Court of Judicial Review in solving it.
Simultaneously, he ordered the sealing of both water and land routes from Chang’an to outlying areas. Anyone of short stature attempting passage was to be detained immediately.
With these two imperial edicts, Chang’an and its surrounding areas swiftly entered a state of martial law.
As Lin Chengyou left the palace, he tucked his uncle’s handwritten order into his robes and meticulously reviewed the entire manhunt plan in his mind.
All government offices were on high alert, as were the Great Seclusion Temple and major Daoist temples. They had already checked every pregnant woman in the city, not missing even those who secretly bought abortifacients from medicine shops. As for outside the city, his uncle had issued orders to the Western Camp commanders to immediately conduct house-to-house searches in the suburban villages.
No matter how capable the culprit was, they couldn’t possibly find the next pregnant woman faster than him. Thus, the criminal’s plan to use Naizhong’s power to turn heaven and earth upside down had been thwarted.
However, before capturing the perpetrator, he still had three tasks: return to the Court of Judicial Review to find the portraits of Qiankun Sanren’s two disciples, clarify the various suspicious points surrounding the third case victim Young Lady Jiang, and quickly locate Naizhong’s whereabouts.
With these thoughts, he rode toward the Court of Judicial Review.
En route, he received a report from the commander guarding Anhua Gate, saying that Shu Wenliang had left through the gate half an hour ago. Besides his wife and daughter, there was considerable luggage on their ox cart, suggesting they were embarking on a long journey.
The gate guards, having received Lin Chengyou’s earlier message, had already dispatched a large force to pursue them. Given that all major checkpoints leaving Chang’an were now under martial law, Shu Wenliang would find it impossible to escape even if he grew wings.
Lin Chengyou acknowledged the report and, after some thought, ordered messages sent to the household registries of both the Capital Prefecture and Wannian County, requesting their officials to immediately verify if Shu Wenliang had left Chang’an last month and to quickly deliver their findings to him.
Having arranged all this, he continued toward the Court of Judicial Review.
Yan Sizhi had already retrieved all case files related to the Evil Sect case. Though many years had passed, because the Major Cases Division had dedicated personnel guarding the archives year-round, the files were perfectly preserved. This was especially true for this case, which the Emperor himself had ordered to be supervised, so the Court of Judicial Review didn’t dare treat it lightly.
The two portraits sat atop the pile of case files. Opening them, one depicted a man in his twenties, labeled as Wenqing Sanren. His features were fairly regular, though his eyes carried a fierce look, and his height was surprisingly short.
The other portrait showed a female Daoist priest, labeled as Haoyue Sanren, also only in her early twenties. Haoyue Sanren was petite, with a spring-like smile, and though dressed in monk’s robes and hemp sandals, she carried an inherent air of refinement.
Lin Chengyou studied the portraits for a while, confirming he had never seen these two people. This wasn’t surprising though – given their level of evil arts cultivation, they must have long since changed their appearances, presumably quite successfully, having evaded imperial detection for so many years.
Yan Sizhi then found and handed over Qiankun Sanren’s portrait to Lin Chengyou: “This is the Wuji Sect’s leader. Who could have imagined such a handsome appearance could commit such heinous acts?”
Indeed, he was dignified-looking. From the portrait, Qiankun Sanren appeared to be in his thirties at the time, not much older than his senior disciples.
The case had been jointly investigated by the Court of Judicial Review, Censorate, and Capital Prefecture, supervised throughout by the Emperor. The entire investigation process was clear and rigorous, with no unclear aspects. Upon verification, Qiankun Sanren had committed eleven capital crimes, with irrefutable evidence warranting death many times over. All three offices had no objections to the investigation results and quickly sentenced Qiankun Sanren to death by strangulation. He had no living relatives and lived at the Wuji Daoist Temple in Anyi Ward until his execution.
After reviewing the historical investigation process, Lin Chengyou shifted his attention back to the two portraits.
This time he focused on their hands.
Though Wenqing Sanren was short, his hands were extremely large, matching perfectly with the Jingyun Waterfall shopkeeper’s description.
Haoyue Sanren’s hands were much smaller, clearly those of a woman.
Lin Chengyou stared repeatedly at the female Daoist’s delicate hands, and the doubt that had surfaced earlier in his mind slowly sank back. Perhaps he had overthought it, and the culprit was Shu Wenliang?
Shu Wenliang and Wenqing Sanren were both men of similar age and build, and the culprit had been extremely wary of being seen by Shu Lingning’s neighbors during the crimes. From every angle, the culprit seemed indeed to be Shu Wenliang.
So Shu Wenliang could very well be the escaped Wenqing Sanren…
This fake “Shu Wenliang” had hidden outside the capital for many years, presumably feeling the time was right, returned to the capital two years ago and secretly deployed his plan: seeking evil artifacts, activating formations, throwing Chang’an into chaos, plotting against court officials and the Emperor… His purpose in doing all this was clearly to avenge his master Qiankun Sanren and his fellow disciples who had been executed.
Nevertheless, Lin Chengyou still stared at the beautiful Haoyue Sanren for a long while before asking Yan Sizhi: “By the way, Brother Yan, has Shu Wenliang’s portrait been obtained?”
Yan Sizhi replied: “His Capital Prefecture colleagues are working on it, though I’m not sure if it’s ready. I’ll have them check. Here’s Shu Wenliang’s biography, already compiled – take a look first.”
Lin Chengyou took the scroll. Though Shu Wenliang shared the surname “Shu” with Shu Lingning, they weren’t direct relatives – he was her maternal uncle.
Shu Wenliang was thirty-seven this year, from Hua Prefecture. His parents died early, and he had no siblings. In his village, he had only one older maternal cousin. Due to poverty, he studied at the local temple from childhood. Shu Wenliang had a photographic memory and exceptional intelligence. When he grew older, he wished to take the imperial examinations in the capital but couldn’t afford the journey. When he tried to borrow money from his cousin and cousin’s wife, they drove him from their home.
These mean-spirited relatives were Shu Lingning’s parents.
Later, Shu Wenliang somehow obtained travel funds and secretly went to Chang’an for the examinations, passing on his first attempt.
After the Ministry of Personnel’s selection, Shu Wenliang sought a position in Huaixi Circuit instead. Using his status as a jinshi graduate, he quickly secured an “inner staff” position under Peng Zhen. Peng Zhen must have paid well, as Shu Wenliang bought an old residence in Chonghua Ward upon returning to Chang’an. Though the location was remote and the mansion small, given the capital’s property prices, it represented a considerable expense. [Note 1]
As for Shu Wenliang’s wife, he married her while serving in Huaixi Circuit. She was reportedly the daughter of a local civil official. They had a daughter, but according to Shu Wenliang’s colleagues, Madam Shu seemed to be in poor health and rarely socialized with other officials’ wives. Shu Wenliang himself rarely mentioned his wife.
Yan Sizhi commented from the side: “Though Shu Wenliang’s wife and daughter are somewhat strange, his background these past years is flawless – a clean family history, participation in imperial examinations, and even his jinshi examination papers can still be found.”
Lin Chengyou smiled: “Not just flawless – it withstands scrutiny from every angle. Unfortunately, some things couldn’t be falsified due to timing issues, revealing small cracks. Brother Yan, look – the year Shu Wenliang came to the capital for examinations coincides exactly with when the Evil Sect escaped from the capital.”
Yan Sizhi compared the two case files: “It does!”
Lin Chengyou continued: “For Wenqing Sanren to conceal his identity long-term, merely running away wouldn’t suffice. To truly deceive heaven and earth, the best method would be to assume someone else’s identity to live. Wenqing Sanren likely chose Shu Wenliang during his escape not only because they had similar builds and ages, but also because Shu Wenliang had few family connections. Even the most sophisticated disguise techniques cannot withstand scrutiny from intimate relations. Shu Wenliang’s parents had died early, he had no siblings, and though he had a cousin and cousin’s wife, their relationship was terrible. Where else could Wenqing Sanren find such a perfect target?”
Yan Sizhi wondered: “But Shu Wenliang participated in the imperial examinations. Wasn’t Wenqing Sanren afraid his fellow candidates would notice something amiss in his behavior?”
“That’s why ‘Shu Wenliang’ left Chang’an as soon as he was passed over by the Ministry of Personnel. Instead of returning to his hometown in Hua Prefecture, he went to the unfamiliar Huaixi Circuit. The more unfamiliar the place, the less worry about being recognized. Perhaps the travel funds for Shu Wenliang’s examination journey came from Wenqing Sanren. Once Shu Wenliang successfully obtained his degree, Wenqing Sanren killed him, then disguised himself as Shu Wenliang and took up the position in Huaixi Circuit.
“He stayed there for over ten years, long enough for a person’s appearance to change naturally. By the time this ‘Shu Wenliang’ returned to Chang’an, even the examination officials and fellow jinshi graduates might not notice anything unusual. Thus, Wenqing Sanren smoothly assumed an official position in the Capital Prefecture – a pivotal position in the metropolitan region – under Shu Wenliang’s identity.”
At this point, a flash of insight struck Lin Chengyou’s mind.
The person who had recommended Shu Wenliang to the Capital Prefecture was—
After a moment of shock, his expression quickly returned to calm. He thought carefully, keeping his voice neutral: this speculation had far-reaching implications. Simply voicing his suspicions would cause tremendous upheaval throughout the court. Unless more concrete evidence surfaced, he couldn’t act rashly.
Yan Sizhi continued: “Speaking of Shu Lingning, here are the interview records I made this morning when questioning the servants at her residence in Chun’an Lane. I was too busy heading to the East Market for inquiries to discuss them in detail. Shu Lingning’s husband died suddenly from illness last May. In July, she came to Chang’an seeking help from Shu Wenliang, who surprisingly took her in without hesitation despite past grievances. However, Shu Lingning only stayed at Shu’s residence for a month before moving to Chun’an Lane after becoming acquainted with Chief Minister Zheng. After moving into this residence, Chief Minister Zheng visited Shu Lingning every few days. The servants said Administrative Director Shu also visited her twice but hasn’t been back in recent months.”
“The maids said that in their half-year of serving Shu Lingning, they never heard her mention her in-laws or former husband. But since becoming pregnant, Shu Lingning became somewhat paranoid, often having nightmares. She would sometimes cry out in her sleep, and upon waking would remain disturbed, as if afraid of something. She even spoke of going to temples to burn incense – similar to Young Lady Jiang in this regard.”
Lin Chengyou paused, quickly retrieved Young Lady Jiang’s itinerary, and began comparing it with the places Shu Lingning had visited over the past two months, examining them one by one.
As he looked, his earlier dismissed suspicion resurfaced.
But something wasn’t right – the person he was thinking of had one crucial characteristic that didn’t match the culprit.
As he was about to ask a question, a yamen runner came rushing in.
“Director Yan, Evaluator Lin, Shu Wenliang did indeed leave Chang’an last month!”
Yan Sizhi took the report. Due to hail damage in Deng Prefecture and surrounding areas in the twelfth month, the court worried about serious grain shortages the following year. They arranged for the Capital Prefecture to send grain to local civilians, dispatching Administrative Director Shu. According to the grain transport route, they passed through Tong Prefecture.
The mission lasted fifty days, from the mid-twelfth month to the seventh day of the third month.
The official travel document was issued by the Capital Prefecture, clearly recording Shu Wenliang’s departure date, return date, and all prefectures passed through.
The original plan was to return in thirty days, but Shu Wenliang didn’t return to Chang’an until the seventh day of the third month, citing severe weather and multiple delays in grain transport.
Lin Chengyou stroked his chin: “Those extra ten days would have been plenty of time for this exceptionally skilled ‘Shu Wenliang’ to travel to Tong Prefecture, kill someone, and take their fetus.”
Yan Sizhi sighed in relief: “With even the itinerary matching up, it seems the culprit is indeed this Shu Wenliang. Once we capture him, the entire case should become clear.”
However, Lin Chengyou urged the yamen runner: “Go see if Shu Wenliang’s portrait is ready.”
This wait stretched to another half hour. Though Shu Wenliang’s colleagues at the Capital Prefecture interacted with him daily, they weren’t in the habit of scrutinizing a male colleague’s appearance. Several people drew while trying to recall his features, occasionally stopping to consult each other, making the process extremely slow.
When the portrait finally arrived, it was quite impressive. The Capital Prefecture officials were quite skilled in painting, rendering the subject with remarkable accuracy. If used as a wanted poster, officials would certainly identify him correctly.
From the portrait, Shu Wenliang was indeed ugly, with the bones on the left side of his face appearing injured, that entire cheek sunken in. His lips and teeth were misaligned, giving him a crooked appearance – completely unlike Wenqing Sanren from years ago.
The only similarity between the two men was their build, as both were shorter than average.
Crucially, Shu Wenliang also had large hands, once again matching the culprit’s physical characteristics.
Looking at the portrait, Lin Chengyou thought silently that except for not knowing how Shu Wenliang had learned of Young Lady Jiang’s crimes, everything else fit perfectly.
It must be him without a doubt.
So he temporarily suppressed his doubts and said to Yan Sizhi: “We’ve mostly identified the main culprit, but there are still several suspicious points about Young Lady Jiang’s case. Time is pressing – I need to visit Fu’an Lane and the West Market. Please trouble Director Yan to verify two things at the Rong’an Earl’s mansion: first since Shu Wenliang is officially from the same hometown as both Lady Jiangs, check if he had any interactions with the Rong’an household over the past two years. Second, find the wet nurse who specifically cared for the eldest son and his wife, and verify one matter with her.”
After hearing these last few sentences, Yan Sizhi showed a shocked expression but quickly nodded, picking up his notebook: “Very well, I’ll question them thoroughly.”
***
After leaving the Court of Judicial Review, Lin Chengyou didn’t go directly to Fu’an Lane but first visited the Left Guard Imperial Army.
After clarifying one matter there, he hurried to the Nianzi Tower in Fu’an Lane.
Chen Third Miss had said Young Lady Jiang loved the grilled fish at this establishment, having eaten there four times in the month before her death.
As soon as Lin Chengyou entered the shop, he called out all the proprietors and workers, asking: “Have you seen an extremely short ruffian in the past two months?”
The proprietor and workers, already nervous about why Lin Chengyou was seeking them out, exclaimed at his words: “The Evaluator knows about such a person?”
“So there was one. How many times did this person appear? What did he look like?”
The workers eagerly replied: “He was filthy and dressed oddly – wearing a short hemp jacket but with a nobleman’s hat. He came three or four times, sometimes lingering at the entrance, sometimes staring at the kitchen waste in the back alley. We suspected he wanted to steal the waste food, so we chased him away whenever he appeared.”
Lin Chengyou’s long eyebrows rose – surprisingly many people had seen him.
“Did you notice his hands? Were they large or small?”
The proprietor and workers fell silent simultaneously, apparently having paid no attention to a ruffian’s hands.
Lin Chengyou prompted them: “For someone so short, wouldn’t you find it strange if he had very large hands?”
At these words, two workers indeed showed recognition: “I remember now. The Evaluator is right – this ruffian did have large hands. Once when he came, he leaned against the back alley wall scratching for lice, then put them in his mouth to eat. We found it disgusting but because of this, we did look more closely at him.”
Lin Chengyou fell into deep thought. No matter how sophisticated the disguise technique, one couldn’t temporarily attach hand bones. It seemed the culprit truly had large hands – not only had the Jingyun Waterfall’s proprietor seen this, but the Nianzi Tower workers could confirm it as well.
Looking at it this way, the person he suspected could perhaps be completely cleared…
Leaving Nianzi Tower, he hurried to the West Market.
The Powder Butterfly Tower in the West Market had been closed since the murder case, and it took the proprietor a long time to gather all the workers.
Seeing most people had arrived, Lin Chengyou asked directly: “Did the Rong’an Earl’s eldest daughter-in-law mention why she came to buy spices that day? Had she arranged to meet someone? Did she say she was waiting for anyone?”
The workers looked at each other: “We didn’t hear anything. The eldest daughter-in-law would always go straight to the second floor to mix formulas whenever she came, commanding servants with great pomp, but we never saw her meet any female companions – that day was no exception.”
Lin Chengyou made a sound of acknowledgment: “Did Young Master Song never accompany his wife to the shop?”
The proprietor shook his head blankly: “No.”
As they spoke, a worker brought hot tea, but Lin Chengyou pushed the cup aside: “Your shop has been in the West Market for many years. Have you ever seen the Rong’an Earl’s eldest son come here to buy things in the past?”
The proprietor blinked in confusion, seeming not to understand why Lin Chengyou would ask this, but still thought carefully before pointing at the shop opposite: “You know that restaurant across the way? They make excellent grilled camel hump. Young Master Song’s previous wife loved it – he often brought her there. I frequently saw the Rong’an household’s ox cart parked at their door.”
Speaking further, he pointed to another jewelry shop diagonally opposite: “And that Plucking Stars Tower – Young Master Song also visited there with his previous wife.”
Lin Chengyou suddenly stood up and paced two steps in the hall with his hands behind his back, then abruptly asked: “Even when newly married last year, Young Master Song never accompanied his new wife to the East Market?”
“No, I’m certain he hasn’t,” the proprietor turned to look at the workers behind him. “Have any of you seen them?”
The workers all shook their heads.
Lin Chengyou’s expression darkened slightly. It seemed some things had happened even earlier than he had imagined.
***
Leaving the Powder Butterfly Tower, Lin Chengyou questioned several other shops across the way, confirmed several matters, and then rode away from the West Market.
Returning to the Court of Judicial Review, Yan Sizhi had just returned from the Rong’an Earl’s mansion. Before they could enter, suddenly a team of South City gate commanders hurriedly came seeking Lin Chengyou.
“Young Master! We’ve found Shu Wenliang!”
Lin Chengyou tensed: “Where?”
“In an abandoned residence in the southern suburbs.” The lead commander, Zhang Gu, said hatefully, “We chased him for over an hour, finally cornering him in the residence. However, this person was well-versed in evil arts, creating many strange paper figures at the entrance to block us. These paper figures had extraordinarily great strength, injuring many of our soldiers. Fortunately, we had brought two Daoist priests along who broke through the formation and entered, but we were still too late – Shu Wenliang had already committed suicide by poison along with his wife and daughter.”
Dead?! Lin Chengyou’s heart sank violently.
“Where are the bodies? Quick, lead the way.”
***
The residence was located halfway between Chang’an and Yuchuan, appearing abandoned for many years, with even the door fixtures severely deteriorated.
When Lin Chengyou arrived at the abandoned residence, he indeed saw many paper figures scattered outside the door.
He immediately recognized this as a soul-controlling evil art recorded in the “Soul Scripture,” summoning not living souls but nearby vengeful spirits and wild ghosts. This technique required extremely high cultivation from the talisman user – at least ten years of magical power – because with the slightest mistake, the caster would be haunted by these vengeful and fierce ghosts. Moreover, the summoning required a special talisman that Qiankun Sanren had nicknamed the “Soldiers from Scattered Beans Talisman.”
After examining the situation outside the door, Lin Chengyou quickly entered the residence. The soldiers hadn’t dared move the bodies – Shu Wenliang and his wife and daughter still lay in the main hall.
All three wore neat clothing and had peaceful expressions, as if having achieved their life’s purpose and calmly embraced death.
Having just seen Shu Wenliang’s portrait, Lin Chengyou and Yan Sizhi immediately recognized the man lying outermost as Shu Wenliang.
Lin Chengyou crouched beside Shu Wenliang’s corpse and reached out, quickly finding a large number of talismans in his robes. The talisman characters were crooked and oddly colored – indeed the “Soldiers from Scattered Beans Talismans.”
Lin Chengyou tucked these talismans into his robes, then carefully examined Shu Wenliang’s hands. Though Shu Wenliang was short, he did have large hands, and the fingertips of his right hand clearly showed traces of talisman fire, indicating recent use of talisman art.
After observing silently for a while, Lin Chengyou felt Shu Wenliang’s front garment again, this time touching something hard. Taking it out, he found a strangely shaped mirror.
The mirror was hook-shaped, crimson on one side and black on the other, with a dusty surface as if long unpolished.
The Moonphase Mirror?! Lin Chengyou showed slight surprise. It seemed Shu Wenliang hadn’t used magic to awaken the beast within the mirror before dying, otherwise the surface wouldn’t be so dim.
Everyone exclaimed: “What is this object?”
“Stay back.” Lin Chengyou quickly looked around, seeing some scattered clothing on the ground. Without hesitation, he tore off a piece of fabric and covered the mirror’s surface. “This thing is extremely evil.”
He recalled what Zhuang Mu had said that day – Zhuang Mu had been ordered to find this extremely evil Moonphase Mirror but the culprit had repeatedly escaped. Now with even this object found on Shu Wenliang’s person, he must be the perpetrator.
Looking at the cold corpse before him, he still felt something strange. Could Wenqing Sanren, who had followed his master in evil deeds years ago, have killed himself like this? But examining Shu Wenliang’s corpse showed no signs of injury whatsoever.
So he searched Shu Wenliang’s clothing again, this time finding a letter written in flowing calligraphy as if penned in haste.
The first line read:
“My lifelong wish fulfilled, I now resolutely face death. Naizhong will soon bring disaster to Chang’an, with the foolish emperor and his subjects unable to escape calamity—”
The letter cursed the “foolish emperor,” every word filled with bone-deep hatred, saying he had assumed “Shu Wenliang’s” identity and laid low for fifteen years just to avenge his master Qiankun Sanren.
The letter also mentioned the double-ring formation he had carefully laid out days ago.
“Shu Wenliang” claimed he did this not only to frame Zhuang Mu but more importantly to make the Court of Judicial Review believe they had caught the real culprit. Only by making the authorities lower their guard could he successfully obtain the next Moonphase Child in the city.
Unexpectedly, the Court of Judicial Review hadn’t fallen for his trap, not only beginning overnight city-wide investigations of pregnant women but also investigating the backgrounds of the three victimized pregnant women.
He couldn’t understand which part of his plan had gone wrong, but the authorities’ actions would undoubtedly cause him enormous trouble.
First, he could no longer target another pregnant woman, and because one of the victims was Shu Lingning, the authorities might soon trace things back to him. Besides these two points, Zhuang Mu’s capture would also alert his master, and with the authorities seeing through his “diversion” strategy, combined with the far-reaching influence of Zhuang Mu’s master, these two forces together against him meant only death awaited.
So he decided to flee Chang’an before everything was completely exposed. He would run as far as possible, and before escaping, he had released Naizhong as a final act.
This being could summon all vengeful spirits and fierce ghosts from the netherworld. Soon Chang’an would descend into a hell realm, and even if all monks and Daoists mobilized, they couldn’t prevent the catastrophe.
Although he hadn’t accomplished everything he’d planned, at least he could cause enormous trouble for the foolish emperor.
Unexpectedly, before they could escape Chang’an’s borders, soldiers had caught up. With heavy checkpoints ahead and large pursuing forces behind, he had no escape route and could only face death with his wife and daughter.
The letter also mentioned that his wife was Haoyue Sanren from those years. The couple had lived under false identities all this time just for this day, to accomplish these deeds before their death. Their wishes were fulfilled, and they had no regrets.
The letter was signed “Wenqing Sanren.”
The officers gathered around Lin Chengyou, silently reading the letter. Lin Chengyou turned it over several times, remaining silent throughout.
Though not particularly long, the letter explained everything clearly.
The culprit, evidence, motive – everything was clear, even including the case’s most crucial weapon – the Moonphase Mirror – which lay before them.
The two long-sought criminals, Haoyue Sanren and Wenqing Sanren had also been found.
Everything seemed beyond doubt.
The case had been solved with unexpected ease.
All that remained was to find Naizhong and suppress it before its yin power recovered, and this shocking case of murder and fetus theft that had terrorized Chang’an would be concluded.
***
As Lin Chengyou led people in transporting the criminals’ bodies back to the city, his brow remained furrowed throughout the journey.
These three cases weren’t so simple. Besides Shu Wenliang’s own inconsistencies, the victims also had numerous suspicious points.
He had hoped Shu Wenliang would provide a breakthrough, but now even this avenue had failed. Even though he knew that person was problematic, the current evidence wasn’t sufficient for conviction. It was impossible to stop here, but how could he find another breakthrough?
Unless… unless he made a risky move.
He thought of Zhuang Mu in prison – this chess piece he had cultivated for so long had finally reached the moment to be moved. If he designed his strategy carefully enough, he might force the opponent to reveal themselves.
The problem was, with such a cunning opponent, how should he arrange things to mobilize both sides?
Lin Chengyou pondered deeply for a long time when suddenly a thought struck him – Tong Prefecture! The case originated there, the Moonphase Mirror first appeared there, and the first victim couple had died there.
To draw out the opponent, perhaps they needed to start with Tong Prefecture again.
By the time they returned to the Court of Judicial Review, it was already early evening. Officials joyfully came out to greet them, having just received news that the three shocking cases that had stunned the court had finally been solved.
“Evaluator Lin, Director Yan, congratulations! You’ve both worked so hard and achieved such merit. In just a few short days, you’ve solved another extraordinary case! Especially you, Evaluator Lin – you’re truly heaven-blessed with talent.”
“Who could have imagined that an unremarkable minor official would have such great ability?”
“Ah, haven’t we worked at the Court of Judicial Review long enough to understand the principle of ‘appearances can be deceiving’?”
“Evaluator Lin, Director Yan, you must be hungry after such a busy day. Why not have dinner before writing the case report?”
Everyone gathered around the two, making the entrance to the Court extremely lively.
Yan Sizhi, always modest and straightforward, seemed somewhat overwhelmed by his colleagues’ enthusiastic praise and hurried to say it was all Lin Chengyou’s achievement. However, turning his head, he saw Lin Chengyou still standing by his horse in thought, as if completely deaf to the surrounding noise.
“Evaluator Lin.”
Only after calling several times did Lin Chengyou turn to look at every one. True, even if he needed to make plans, it wasn’t urgent. After such a busy day, he was hungry too. Better to eat first before visiting Zhuang Mu in prison. He smiled and said, “Now that you mention it, I am quite hungry. Yes, let’s eat first.”
As he spoke, he tossed the reins to a yamen runner and stepped onto the stairs.
Suddenly, someone emerged from a corner and approached, speaking quietly: “Evaluator Lin.”
Lin Chengyou was hurrying to go eat and had no time for this person, but then heard: “Evaluator Lin, Young Master Wang has urgent business with you.”
Lin Chengyou’s steps abruptly halted. Turning his head to look, it wasn’t Duan Fu, but he had seen this person following Teng Yuyi in the West Market before – presumably one of her guards. He quickly descended the stairs and led the person aside.
“She’s looking for me?” Lin Chengyou coughed once, his expression very calm.
The man said: “Young Master Wang asked me to deliver a message to Evaluator Lin: a lady at the temple is behaving suspiciously. Last night she wasn’t in her quarters but went to the pine forest behind the north wall, hiding her face with a large cloak as if meeting someone. Young Master Wang found this suspicious and investigated today – it turns out to be Lady Duan Qingying. The lady said that originally, Abbot Yuanjue hadn’t allowed Lady Duan to stay at the temple, but she had insisted. Given this and last night’s events, the lady suspects something is wrong with Lady Duan, so specifically sent me to inform Evaluator Lin.”
A trace of surprise rippled in Lin Chengyou’s eyes. After pondering for a moment, he nodded and said: “I understand.”
The man then took his leave.
Lin Chengyou returned to the entrance, thinking. Duan Qingying? That day she had suddenly come to ask him if the culprit had been caught, claiming to ask on behalf of her cousin. Looking at it now, things weren’t so simple.
Duan Qingying was currently staying at the temple. If something was wrong with her, the temple residents would be the first to suffer.
With Teng Yuyi’s recent streak of bad luck, if anything happened, she would be the first victim.
At this thought, he stopped and turned toward the guard’s retreating figure: “Please wait.”
The guard returned: “What instructions does Young Master have?”
Lin Chengyou thought for a moment – he had almost forgotten something in his busy past few days. That day at the spice shop, Teng Yuyi had run into Young Lady Jiang. Given Teng Yuyi’s memory, she might remember something.
Since he was going to the Court of Judicial Review anyway, why not ask Teng Yuyi in person? After all, with Shu Wenliang dead, that encounter between Teng Yuyi and Young Lady Jiang might provide a breakthrough in the case.
He said seriously: “I’m going to investigate at the Great Seclusion Temple right away. Additionally, there’s something very important I need to ask your young master about – it’s related to solving the case. It’s inconvenient to relay messages back and forth, so I’ll visit the Pear Blossom Pavilion shortly. Ah, tell your young master not to prepare food and wine – I’ll just ask a couple of questions and leave.”
***
Yuyi held a scroll of “Qin Secrets,” leaning against the railing reading. Beside the railing was the courtyard’s pear tree, its branches stretching into the corridor. The wind blew, scattering flower petals that fell onto her book pages and black hair bun.
Teng Yuyi picked off the petals, absently rolling them between her fingertips. When her mother was alive, she would make fresh flower cakes every mid-spring. If her mother saw this scene, she would surely have people collect these petals for later use.
Unfortunately, she was currently busy avoiding disaster and had no mood for such things. Perhaps she should collect them anyway – they could be used to infuse wine later.
She took the silk kerchief from her arm, swept the petals from her hair into it, smoothed it out, and continued catching petals as they fell from the branches. Before long, she had gathered a small pouch full.
As she worked, she heard a partridge’s call from outside the courtyard. Knowing it was Duan Fu returning, she continued wrapping the flower petals while calling out: “Come in!”
When Duan Fu entered, Teng Yuyi asked: “Has Changkeng returned?”
“Yes. I delivered the message to Prince Cheng’s son. The young master said he would come investigate immediately, and also said he had something to ask the lady, so he might visit the Pear Blossom Pavilion shortly.”
Teng Yuyi nodded with satisfaction at the first part – she knew Lin Chengyou was meticulous and wouldn’t miss any suspicious points. But hearing the latter part made her puzzled: “He has something to ask me?”
“He said it’s related to solving the case and must be asked in person,” Duan Fu relayed mechanically. “The young master also said he won’t stay long – just ask two questions and leave. He said not to prepare food and wine.”
“I understand.” Lin Chengyou wouldn’t think of her without reason – it must be something important.
Duan Fu added: “Oh, and I heard the real culprit has been caught.”
Teng Yuyi was greatly shocked.
“Did Changkeng hear this?” She thought for a moment and waved her hand. “You mean that Zhuang Mu? That was false.”
“This time should be real because all the Court of Judicial Review officials were talking about it. They said Prince Cheng’s son caught him personally.”
Teng Yuyi’s heart pounded rapidly – so quickly? She had encountered the culprit before; this person was cold and cunning and seemed to have extensive connections behind the scenes. Who would have thought such a formidable character would be caught so quickly by Lin Chengyou?
Both excited and curious, she stood up and paced several circles before the steps, saying happily: “Quick, prepare food and wine!”
Lin Chengyou was so capable – her worried heart could finally rest. When she saw Lin Chengyou later, she had to ask him all about it. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be impatient – so preparing good food and wine was very necessary.
She waited for over an hour without seeing Lin Chengyou appear.
Teng Yuyi practiced a sword routine with Duan Fu. Seeing the night growing deeper, she guessed Lin Chengyou wouldn’t come and felt somewhat disappointed. After thinking it over, and having nothing else to do, she focused on practicing qinggong with Duan Fu. On her first attempt, she only managed to rise halfway before falling back to the ground. The second attempt showed some improvement but only raised her a few inches higher.
Finally managing to reach the roof beam with Duan Fu’s internal force assistance, she had just steadied herself when she heard tiles moving. Someone leaped in from outside the wall – a person in crimson robes, agile as a falcon, landing gracefully on the roof beam with hardly a sound. However, he seemed surprised to find Teng Yuyi up there: “Why are you on the roof beam?”
Teng Yuyi was even more surprised: “Young Master.” She had thought Lin Chengyou wasn’t coming.
“I’m practicing martial arts,” she said, then composed herself and smiled, “Young Master, shall we go down to talk?”
Lin Chengyou glanced at the stone table in the courtyard – he had said not to prepare food and wine, yet she had arranged it anyway.
Thinking of his Heartless Poison, he felt he should cut off Teng Yuyi’s feelings for him early.
“No need, let’s talk here on the beam.”
Teng Yuyi had been so busy she’d forgotten about the food and wine under the tree, so she nodded: “Very well, what did Young Master wish to ask me?”
Lin Chengyou sat down on the beam, adjusting his robes, and said: “I might be going to Tong Prefecture tomorrow. Don’t send anyone to the Court of Judicial Review with messages for me – I won’t be able to receive them.”
As he sat down, Teng Yuyi felt it would be disrespectful to remain standing, so she also sat nearby. Hearing his words, she paused, thinking – she had already told Lin Chengyou about Duan Qingying and hadn’t planned to send him any more messages anyway.
Nevertheless, she nodded: “Alright, if I discover anything at the temple, I’ll send word to Young Master in a couple of days.”
Lin Chengyou turned to glance at her, meeting her bright eyes. Looking at those clear pools, he sighed inwardly – from this situation, it wouldn’t be easy to dispel Teng Yuyi’s feelings quickly. Well, if he rushed things and made her cry, that wouldn’t be good.
Better to discuss business first.
“There’s something I want to ask you. That day when you saw Young Lady Jiang at the spice shop, did you hear if she was waiting for someone or planning to meet anyone?”
After asking this, Lin Chengyou hadn’t expected much – he had already repeatedly questioned the Rong’an household servants and spice shop workers. Perhaps because the events that day had been so frightening that people’s minds were scattered, almost no one could remember these details afterward.
Unexpectedly, Teng Yuyi only thought for a moment before quickly saying: “I heard the Young Master’s wife say: ‘My husband said he would come to pick me up – why isn’t he here yet? I’m tired from shopping and want to rest downstairs.'”